Chain of Memories Retold
by hIkArI1001
Summary: Feng is back in another adventure. This time, she's all alone in a mysterious castle. Familiar faces and strangers threaten and aid her, making her question her loyalties. The secrets of her life come into the light, and things may never be the same in this next installment of the Retold Series!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Are you all ready for this? I hope so. This story will introduce two new characters. They are important to the series, and I hope you like them!

This won't be too long because I'm ready to get on with KHII Retold. Also, I won't write Shadi's side, but if you guys want it, tell me and I'll write about it.

Now I'll shut up and get started! Follow, favorite, and review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the characters and stories I created. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square and Disney, Final Fantasy belongs Square, and all Disney characters and locations belong to Disney.

Castle Oblivion

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I continued down the seemingly endless dirt road. We'd been chasing Pluto down the road for a long time.

"Where is he going?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but we have to follow him!" Donald shouted.

"He could taking us to Riku, Shadi, and the King!" Sora said.

Later on Pluto looked pooped. We all were, so we decided to get some sleep in the grass.

Someone shook me awake. It was Sora.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Sora asked me.

"Sure," I said, getting up. We began to walk down the path, careful not to go too far.

We eventually came to a crossroads with four paths. Sora stared into the sky quietly. I did too, and we just stood there for some time.

"Sora, does Riku like Kairi?" I blurted out suddenly.

"I don't know. We were always competing for her attention. She was the only girl. Well, there was Selphie, but she liked Tidus and was scared of Riku anyway. Where did that come from? From what I've seen, he really likes you," he said, staring at the choker Riku had given me on Captain Hook's ship.

"I guess so," I said.

And then we heard a voice.

"Along the road ahead lies something you need." A figure wearing a black coat appeared behind us. We turned around, but the man disappeared and the man reappeared in front of us. Sora and I turned around and faced him.

"However, in order to claim it you must lose something that is dear to you." The hooded man continued. He looked like the guy that I thought I saw back in Traverse Town, just before I met Sora.

The man turned and disappeared. Sora ran towards him, but he was gone.

The girl in the cage continued drawing in her sketchbook. The girl, satisfied with the picture of the castle she had drawn, puts her sketchbook down, sighing.

"I'll see them soon."

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I stood, looking at the castle before us. It looked menacing, with spires and towers pointing in every direction. We all began walking toward the castle. Donald and Goofy said something to each othe, but I couldn't hear what.

Sora looked up at the castle and gasped slightly; I wondered what he thought was inside. He continued toward it, with me following close behind.

"Huh?" Donald whacked, and he and Goofy followed us to the door. Sora opens the door and looked inside, then let us know that it was safe to walk in.

"Hey, ya think it's OK to barge in?" Goofy asked.

"But we gotta do it, if we're gonna find the King...," Donald replied.

"The King?!" Goofy asked, surprised, and looked around the room. "King Mickey's here?"

"Something just told me he'd be here, OK?"

"Really? 'Cause now that ya mention it, I was kinda thinkin' the same thing.":

"Seriously?" Sora began. "Me too! One look at this castle, and I just knew…," he continued.

"Our very best friends-they're here," I finished for him.

"A-hyuck! Guess great minds think alike."

Jiminy jumped out of Sora's hood, hopping onto his shoulder.

"Wait, hey, hold on! It can't be just a coincidence!"

"Oh, no, Jiminy. Ya don't mean that-," Donald said.

"Yep, I had it too, mm-hmm! I had the exact same feeling."

"Gawrsh, maybe it's contagious," Goofy suggested.

"No, no. Something's screwy. We gotta go take a look."

"All right," Sora agreed, walking toward the door at the end of the hall.

Donald jumped up. "Wak! Where are you going?!"

"That way. To the door," Sora snickered. "Are ya scared?"

"Aw, don't be ridiculous! Come on, let's go, Goofy!"

"You guys, I feel something strange. Like this pressure on my heart.

"Hey, fellas, shouldn't we shut the door behind us before we go? Goofy turned around and shouted, "Sora!"

The hooded man appeared in front of the entrance and the doors closed.

"That's it! Who are you?" Sora grunted as he summoned his Keyblade. We all followed suit, drawing our weapons as the hooded man walked toward us.

"Wak! Heartless!" quacked Donald. "Oh yeah? I'll try some magic! Thunder!" Donald shouted, but no magic came out. "Come on. Thunder! Thunder! Come on...Blizzard? Fire!" Nothing happened.

The hooded man reached us. "Why isn't it working?" Donald said, slumping.

"I should think it's obvious. The moment you set foot in this castle, you forgot every spell and every ability you ever knew. In this place, to find is to lose, and to lose is to find. That is the way in Castle Oblivion," said the mystery man.

"Castle Oblivion?" Sora and I said.

The mystery man disappeared in an aura of darkness, and reappearef behind Sora and I.

"Here you will meet people that you have known in the past. And you will meet people you miss."

"I miss? Riku!" said Sora.

"Shadi!" I added.

"You mean Riku and Shadi are here?!"

"If what you want...is to find them...," The man held out his hand and gusts of wind and flower petals appeared and flew toward Sora and I. Sora tried to block them with his Keyblade. The man then became transparent and flew through Sora. Sora and I then ran at the man, jumped, and slashed at him, but the man disappeared in a burst of petals.

"Huh?" Sora said.

The man reappeared at a doorway at the end of the hall. We ran toward him.

"What'd you do?!" Sora demanded.

"I merely sampled your memories. And from them, I made this." The man held out a card in his hand; it depicted Traverse Town, a world from our previous journey.

"To reunite with those you hold dear…," he said as he tossed the card to Sora.

"What's this, a card?" questioned Sora.

"It is a promise for the reunion you seek. Hold the card to open the door. And beyond it, a new world. Proceed, Sora. To lose and claim anew, or to claim anew only to lose...,"

The man disappeared and we all let out a collective gasp. Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, and I watched Sora, who stared at the card.

"C'mon, let's go." Sora walkef up to the door and held up the card to open it. Sora walked through the door.

The rest of us moved to follow, with me at the rear. But, before I could move, I was enveloped in a flurry of flower petals.

I could already tell that I was going to hate this adventure.

A/N: So, like it? Feng gets her own story! She won't be with Sora and the others this time around. Oh, but she will get an unexpected ally. Who? You'll have to find out. We'll also be introducing a new character next chapter! Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey! It's time for a new chapter. This is where Feng's journey begins. Oh, and I'm announcing the Q&A right now so that you guys can get lots of questions in. So, lets get started.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the characters and stories I created. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square and Disney, Final Fantasy belongs Square, and all Disney characters and locations belong to Disney.

Alone

As the storm of petals around me died down, I could see that I was in a white room. I also saw that my friends were nowhere to be seen.

I began to wonder where I was. I know I was still in the castle, but where in the castle?

I decided to look around. I walked all around the white room, but I found absolutely nothing. Big surprise.

It was then that I spotted a door. It was an unassuming white door, and I was sure that it hadn't been there before. It was suspicious, yet it was my only option. I walked over to the door.

"You aren't ready for what lies within," said a girl's voice. I looked up and saw the girl who had spoken.

She was plain-looking. She had white hair pulled up into a ponytail. She had grey eyes, and wore a white sleeveless turtleneck and white fitted jeans. On her feet, short white boots.

She looked…simple…and clean.

"What?" I asked. I didn't understand. "What lies within? Riku? Shadi? The King?"

"The past. The truth. The future. The darkness. The light. It depends on you. Who you are. Who are you?" she said.

"I'm Feng. I'm a Keyblade wielder. I'm…part Heartless, I guess? I think? Am I?" I wondered. Was I? My dad was a Heartless, right? Or was he? Maybe he became one. If I was half Heartless, then how did I use that Light magic?

"So, you do not know your true self. Neither does she. Not yet."

"Who?"

"Never mind. I am Meiyou."

"Okay, Meiyou. Who is your true self?"

"I do not have one. She is lost."

"Oh. That's too bad. Maybe you could let me through the door, and I can find her," I suggested jokingly.

"You mock me. But you are not ready. You must be ready," Meiyou said, holding out her hand. In it, a long white bo staff appeared.

So she wanted a fight, then. I'd be more than happy to oblige. I quickly summoned my Keyblade, sinking into a fighting stance. This was going to be fun.

Meiyou ran toward me and swung; I flipped out of harm's way quickly. I swung the Keyblade downward and caught her on the head. She retaliated with a swing to my head. I sidestepped, but her leg caught my ankle and I went tumbling. She took the opportunity to swing at me.

I jumped up, and used my Keyblade to propel myself toward her. That knocked her off balance, and I took the chance to land a combo. She retaliated by sending gray sparks at me. They popped like fireworks, and they hurt.

I slid toward her, swinging powerfully. My Keyblade connected with her leg, and she stumbled. She rolled, righted herself, and flung her staff at my face. I blocked it, and it flew back to her like a boomerang. She caught it and sent another volley of grey sparks.

As they hit me, I threw my own weapon. It orbited around me, hitting her multiple times. She turned her staff into a whip, and swung it around wildly; I grabbed it and pulled her toward me. I swung my Keyblade with all my might, finishing her off. She dismissed her weapon, and I did the same.

"You are ready now. Go on. Face the truth. The past. The future. The light. The darkness."

"Okay…," I said. This girl was strange. And what was she even doing here?

"Hey. Do you…," I began. When I looked up. Meiyou was gone. I shrugged and went through the door.

I arrived in a room that looked similar to the entrance hall of the castle. I looked to the door at the end of the room, and the mystery man stood there.

"You! You're behind this!" I shouted at him. I summoned my Keyblade, running toward him. He disappeared, then appeared behind me, scythe ready.

"You don't want to fight me. I'll tell you what happened…in time. But for now, take this."

He held out a card for me. I looked at it carefully. The artwork depicted a town with a castle at it's center. The castle was large and elegant…and familiar. It was Hollow Bastion, before it was ravaged by darkness.

"This is from memories deep in your heart. The memories are not your own, however. You must use them to learn the truth," he told me.

"What is this truth that everyone keeps talking about?" I asked.

"Who you really are. What your true purpose is. Where your loyalties truly lie," the man told me.

"My loyalties lie in my friends," I told him.

"Oh, do they? You knew nothing of before you woke in that town. You do not know what your memories truly are," he told me.

I bit my lip. He had a point. I didn't know what happened to me before I woke up in Traverse Town. I still hadn't regained all my memories yet, either. But I did knew that the memories I did have were true.

"I know that my memories are true," I told him.

"Then show me," he whispered as he vanished.

I looked from the card to the door. Since I had no other choice, I began to walk forward.

I was halted by the circle of Heartless that had appeared around me.

I began hacking and slashing my way through the swarm, but it only seemed like more kept showing up. I continued fighting, trying to think of a way out of this.

"Hey! Leave her alone, ya' creeps!" said a voice. I looked to the entrance and saw a anthropomorphic rabbit that resembled King Mickey. He held a Keyblade; the blade looked like a paintbrush, the teeth looked like two antennas with an electric current running between them, and the guard resembled a cell from old movie film. The keychain charm was a countdown timer from an old movie; the number shown was a 2.

"Who are you?" I asked him. He looked at me, smiling.

"I'm Oswald. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. My little bro Mick sent me to help ya out," Oswald told me.

"You're the King's brother?" I asked, shocked.

"Yep. And you look like you need some help," he said, jumping into the fray. We began fighting the Heartless, and soon they were all gone.

"How did you get in here?" I asked Oswald.

"Let's just say that I had to call in a couple of favors. But I'm here now. So, whacha' got there?" he asked me.

"Oh. It's a card. We need to use it on that door. I think it opens a door to a world…made of memories," I told him.

"Well, that's unusual. But I think we'd better hurry up. Don't want any more trouble from Heartless," Oswald suggested.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be there too. They never stop chasing Keyblade wielders," I said blankly. It was the truth. The Keyblade was the only weapon that could really defeat Heartless. Destroy them any other way, they'd just come back.

"Well, ain't that the truth?" Oswald said, smiling. This guy was always so happy-go-lucky. I was sure that I'd like him.

"Okay," I said, walking up to the door. I held up the card, and both it and the door shone brightly. Oswald strode up next to me, and we entered the door.

A/N: Sorry about this taking so long. I had to really refine this one. Well, we got Meiyou! And Oswald! Oh, and Feng and Oswald will only visit Radiant Garden and Destiny Islands. I've already started KHII Retold, and I'm ready to get it out, so this will be pretty short. Well, I'll see you guys next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Radiant Garden

Oswald and I looked at our surroundings. I could see the castle, only this time it was unbroken. It had been my home once; now it was like I was seeing it for the first time.

We stood in a garden area, surrounded by shrubs and bright flowers. There were what appeared to be large terraces; these led to the castle stairs. The whole place was just beautiful, and I wished for it to be like this in real life.

"Wow. I remember when it used to look like this," said Oswald. He looked all around. "The door is gone," he noted. I looked and saw that he was right. The door we had come through was gone.

"Well, gosh. This is going to be quite the strange adventure," said Oswald.

"Yeah, I'll say," I said.

I looked up and saw what looked like younger versions of Cloud and Leon running by. Then I realized that they were younger versions of the two. Cloud was just shorter and had smaller hair, and Leon also had shorter hair, and no scar. They looked to be about eleven years old.

Another figure came up behind them, and I saw that it was Tifa. She was younger too. She wore a blue dress. Leon was wearing a simple black shirt and black pants. Cloud wore a short-sleeved orange hoodie and black shorts. Cloud and Leon held sticks, presumably for sparring. After all, I had done the same thing.

"Aw! They're so cute!" I exclaimed. I ran to them, but Oswald stopped me.

"They don't know you. They're not even real," he told me. I sighed. He was right, but it was hard to remember that it wasn't real.

"Right," I told him. But we did have to figure a way out of the memory world and into the real one again.

"We have to talk to them, Oswald. They may know how to find a way out. It's our best shot for now."

"You're right," said Oswald, and we walked up to the three.

"Hi," I said.

"Hey," said Cloud.

"Cloud! We aren't supposed to talk to strangers!" said Tifa.

"She's not a stranger, right, Leon?" said Cloud.

"Well, she does seem familiar," said Leon, deep in thought.

"Look you guys! It's Vincent and Lucrecia!" said Tifa. A man and woman were walking toward us. They looked about twenty-four. The man had medium-length black hair and red eyes. He wore a navy blue uniform with a heart insignia. The girl wore a lab coat, though it was undone and revealed a purple and white blouse and a black skirt. She had brown hair and deep brown eyes. The two walked with their hands nearly touching.

"Hey, kids," said Vincent. He smiled happily at them.

"Hey! We aren't kids!" said Cloud and Leon at the same time.

"Sure you aren't…," said Tifa.

"And you are?" said Vincent, turning to me.

"Oh! I'm Feng, and this is Oswald," I informed him.

"Oh. Well, I'm Vincent and this is Lucrecia," he informed us.

"It's nice to meet you. I usually don't leave the lab up at the castle, but Vincent is teaching the kids maths today, and he isn't very good himself…," said Lucrecia.

"Hey!" said Vincent.

"Well, that was what you said when you asked me to come!" replied Lucrecia.

"Can we just get to the fun part already?" asked Cloud, swinging his stick around.

"No, no. You have to take your lessons first. No sparring until you're done," said Vincent.

"Where's Master Zangan?" asked Tifa.

"He's held up. You know he has 128 students all over the town, and he can't cater only to you," said Vincent.

"Ah, Lucrecia, my dear. I've found you at long last," said a new voice. It came from a slender man with black hair pulled back into a ponytail and black eyes hidden behind thick round glasses. He also wore a lab coat, albeit buttoned with a bluish-green Oxford shirt and navy blue slacks. His appearance had caused Lucrecia and Vincent to move away from one another.

"Hello, Hojo," said Lucrecia. She ran and hugged him. Vincent's face tightened momentarily.

"Hello. Hello, Vincent," said Hojo.

"I was helping Vincent teach the kids math," said Lucrecia.

"Well, you're needed at the castle. And you'd better come too, Vincent," Hojo remarked.

"Why what's going on?" asked Vincent.

"Sephiroth has escaped," said Hojo matter-of-factly. I assumed that this wasn't a good thing, because I had met Sephiroth, and he wasn't exactly good news.

I assumed right, because Vincent and Lucrecia had a look of clear shock on their faces.

The three ran off, headed toward the castle. The three kids followed, and I ran to stop them. A horde of Heartless appeared all around them.

"What are those?!" asked a panicked Tifa.

"Don't worry. I got this," said Cloud, swinging his stick at the Heartless. He flinched back when it did nothing.

"Oh, really?!" said Tifa, swinging her fist at a Heartless. It did little damage, and Oswald and I decided to step in.

We fought the Heartless, side by side. We made a good team, and soon the Heartless were dealt with.

"What do we do now?" asked Oswald.

"We'll have to go to the castle. I've dealt with Sephiroth before, and they're gonna need a lot of help."

A/N: I'm so sorry for this! The chapter was so late because I had tons of assignments piled on me, and I got Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire. I got back into this because I want to get this story out of the way so I can do KHII Retold, which I'm already several chapters into. Thanks for your continued support and not hating me, and I'll see you soon(seriously, the next chapter will be up before next week).


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the characters and stories I created. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square and Disney, Final Fantasy belongs Square, and all Disney characters and locations belong to Disney.

One-Winged Angel

"C'mon, kids," I told Cloud, Tifa, and Leon. I could see the stairs that lead up to the castle.

Okay, so Oswald and I got a little lost on the way to the castle. We encountered quite a few Heartless, but we were able to handle it.

At last, we arrived at the castle. It looked so much better than it had when I had lived there. I wondered if the library was still there.

"My mom! This is a memory of the world, so my mom should be here, right?" I asked Oswald.

"Yeah, but I don't think it's a good idea," Oswald replied.

"'Memory of the world'? What does that mean?" asked Tifa.

"Well, Tifa, it's very complicated," I began to explain. "For now, just ignore the things I say. Right now, we need to get these doors open."

We had arrived at the large castle doors. There weren't any guards, but that didn't mean it would be easy to get in.

"That door!" said Oswald, pointing to a smaller door that seemed much more practical. "We can use the Keyblade to unlock it."

I summoned my Keyblade, pointing it at the door. A beam flew from the tip, and the door began to glow. I heard a click, and I knew that we were set.

"Oh, what would I do without you?" I said, referring to my Keyblade.

"C'mon!" said Cloud. "We have to go help!"

"Right," I said, nodding, as we entered the castle.

If I thought that getting into the castle was hard, finding my way around was impossible. Everything seemed different than the version I was familiar with. I couldn't make heads or tails of anything.

Luckily, it seemed that Oswald had been here before. When he took the lead, we got around much easier. Or, at least we stopped going in circles.

Eventually, we found what Oswald said was the door to a study, and the lab was beyond it.

He knocked, and the door was opened. It was Lucrecia who opened it.

"You guys? Why are you here? And why did you bring the kids?" she asked us.

"Sorry, but we wanted to help," said Oswald.

"Oswald? Is that you, my old friend?" asked a man's voice.

"Why, if it isn't Ansem the Wise!" said Oswald. Lucrecia moved out of the doorway, and I caught a glimpse of the man Oswald had called Ansem the Wise.

"Wait! Ansem the Wise!? There are two Ansems!?" I asked.

"Yep. This Ansem is the real one, though. The one you and Sora fought was a fake," said Oswald.

"So you mean…," I began.

"This is Ansem the Wise, king of Radiant Garden," said Lucrecia.

"Please, now Lucrecia. I told you that I'd much prefer it if you didn't refer to me as a king," said Ansem the Wise. "Now, it's very nice to see you, Oswald, but I'm afraid that there's a problem. But…who's your friend?"

"I'm Feng," I said to him. A man named Ansem, with blond hair, who was the ruler of Hollow Bastion.

This man was my father. My real father.

"Oswald, can I talk to you alone for a second?" I asked him.

"Sure, pal," said Oswald, and I pulled him back out into the hallway.

"That's my father!" I whispered to him.

"Huh?" he asked.

"In my mother's journal and Ansem's report, it said that Ansem was the king of my homeworld, and that he was my father. That guy in that room is the king of this place, and his name is Ansem. He's even blond like me. The Ansem we defeated must have been faking, like you said. That man is my father!" I told Oswald.

"Oh, right. You just reminded me that Mick wanted me to give ya this letter, said Oswald. He pulled the letter from his pocket. I took it and began to read it.

"Dear Feng,

I wish that I could tell you this in person, but sadly, I'm a bit busy at the moment. So I wrote you this letter instead.

I recently learned that you think that the man you and Sora defeated is your father. This is not the case. The person you fought was simply an imposter.

The real Ansem was the king of Radiant Garden, your home. I think that it's called Hollow Bastion now. That man, the real Ansem, is your father.

The true Ansem was a close friend of mine, and I visited him often. I met you when you were young, too. You were very cute.

I'm afraid I don't have much more time, so I'll end this letter here. I hope that this isn't too much of a shock for you, and if it is, I apologize.

Sincerely, King Mickey."

"So?" asked Oswald.

"Hey Oswald. Did you ever think that it'd be a good idea to give me this letter BEFORE I saw a memory of my father that I didn't even know about?" I asked.

"Um…yeah?" said Oswald. I hit him on the head.

"Ouch! Besides, it isn't like it would make a difference now," said Oswald, rubbing his head.

"You're right. Let's go back and see what we can do to help," I said. Oswald nodded in agreement, and we returned to the study.

"So, now may I know you name?" asked Ansem the Wise.

"Um...my name isn't important," I said.

"It's Feng," said Cloud.

"How interesting. My daughter happens to be named Feng," said Ansem. "You do look an awful lot like her, actually. It's rather strange."

"Yep. It sure is," I told him, relieved he didn't recognize me. I made a mental note to punch Cloud when I got out of this castle. If I ever saw him again, that is.

"So, then. What's going on?" I asked.

"A very dangerous man named Sephiroth has escaped. We had him incarcerated, but he defeated his guards," Vincent informed me. I hadn't even known he was there. Lucrecia bowed her head.

"Well, where did he go?" I asked.

"Oh, no. A young girl like you couldn't possibly hope to go up against Sephiroth," said Hojo.

"I didn't ask that. I wanted to know where he is," I said firmly.

"Very well," said Hojo. "He was last seen fleeing toward the energy reactor."

"Lucrecia, keep the kids safe," Vincent said. "I'm going with them."

Lucrecia simply nodded. The kids went over to stand by her.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Lord Ansem," said a new voice. I turned and saw another guy standing there. He was a few years older than me, with black hair and vivid blue eyes.

"Ah, there you are. This is Zack Fair, SOLDIER, 1st Class. He's here to a accompany you," said Ansem.

"The more the merrier," I said to Zack. It was then that I noticed what was on his back. It was Cloud's buster sword.

"So, you guys ready?" asked Zack.

"Yeah," I told him.

"Cool. Let's go," he said, and we left the study.

"Lucrecia. Where are they going?" asked Cloud.

"They're going to fight Sephiroth. Duh," said Tifa.

"I want to help!" said Cloud.

"Dude, this is Sephiroth. He's so strong they had to lock him up. And he still escaped," Leon said.

"I don't care! I have to help. I'm gonna be in SOLDIER one day!" said Cloud.

"Cloud, you couldn't hope to even touch Sephiroth. Don't dare to think otherwise," said Lucrecia.

"And how do you know?" asked Cloud.

"Because he is, at least biologically, my son," said Lucrecia. She appeared detached.

"I don't care what you say! I'm going!" said Cloud. He quickly ran around the others, fleeing the study.

"No! Cloud!" shouted Lucrecia, but she was too late.

"We have to go get Cloud," said Leon.

"But what about Sephiroth?" asked Tifa.

"We won't have to worry about Sephiroth if we catch Cloud before he reaches the reactor," said Leon.

Tifa nodded, and the two ran after Cloud.

"Kids, please stop!" said Lucrecia, running after them.

"Well, here we are," said Zack when we reached the reactor. It was a big, circular area made out of some sort of glass.

"I thought Sephiroth was here," I said.

"He's inside the reactor," said Zack. "The door is over here." He lead us to a door, and entered a code. The door swing open.

"Well, let's go," said Zack. We walked through the door and began to descend into the lowest parts of the reactor.

"So, Zack. Where'd you get that sword of yours?" I asked.

"I…inherited it. From a friend," he said. "It's a long story."

"Oh," I said.

"I think we're here," said Oswald. We had arrived in a large room with lots of pods.

"What are those pods?" asked Oswald.

"They're used in experiments," said Zack. "But they're all empty right now."

"Where is Sephiroth?" I asked Zack.

"He's through there," said Zack. He was pointing to an arched doorway. The door had a large plaque above it that said "Jenova".

"C'mon, then. Let's go," I said, running toward the door.

"Wait," said Zack, but I had already reached the door. Vincent, Zack, and Oswald ran after me quickly.

When I entered the room, Sephiroth was standing there, staring at a metal statue of an angel.

"You have superior knowledge, power, and magic. You were destined to rule all worlds, Mother," said Sephiroth.

Mother! That was what Sephiroth said he needed my help to find.

Sephiroth reached out and grabbed the angel statue. He yanked, and he tore the statue free, tossing it aside. Behind it was a tank full of fluid. Suspended in the fluid was Jenova.

"So, you've come?" said Sephiroth, turning to face us.

"Sephiroth, what are you doing?" asked Zack.

"Mother and I shall rule all worlds together," said Sephiroth. He drew his sword. "And it'd be foolish to try and stop us."

"Well, then, we must be idiots," I said, summoning my Keyblade.

"Make it a challenge, then," said Sephiroth, launching himself toward us. We began to fight him, but he was better than I remembered. Or I was rusty.

Zack and I worked together; he would fling me up in the air with his sword, and I'd dive, striking Sephiroth on the head.

Oswald was working with Vincent in the background. They were shooting magic and bullets, but Sephiroth was dodging many of their attacks.

Finally, we had all been tired out, even Sephiroth. Zack took the opportunity to run forward, buster sword ready.

Sephiroth was ready too. He jabbed his sword forward, driving it through Zack's chest.

"Zack!" I screamed as Sephiroth removed his sword. The buster sword fell from Zack's hand, and Zack himself fell into the dark crater in the center of the room.

"Sephiroth!" cried a new voice. I turned and saw Cloud, Leon, and Tifa. It was Cloud who had screamed. He ran forward, grabbing the buster sword. To the surprise of everyone, he lifted it with ease. He ran forward toward Sephiroth as Lucrecia entered.

Sephiroth's sword pierced Cloud, but he kept going. He ran the buster sword through Sephiroth's chest.

The two fell into the void as Lucrecia and Tifa screamed.

Later, we headed back to the castle. Tifa had passed out after Sephiroth and Cloud fell, and Vincent had to carry her back.

When we got back, we found everyone from the castle in the library waiting for us. The guards Aeleus, Dilan, and Braig, and the scientists Even and Ienzo. We told them what happened in the reactor, alternating. When I began to speak, another scientist ran into the library.

She had brown hair and black eyes, and she wore glasses.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever show up, Reina," said Even.

Reina. The woman who had just entered the library was my mother.

And I couldn't do anything about it.

But it was who was behind her that really caught my attention.

It was a little girl. Her blond hair was in two pigtails, and Sep work a monochrome Lolita dress. Her eyes were a bright blue.

It was me.

"Daddy," little Feng said to Ansem the Wise. "Where's Cloud? I wanted to give him these flowers. Aerith, Kairi, and I picked them."

Kairi. This was her home world, too.

"I'm sorry, Feng, but Cloud has left. He'll be gone for a while."

"Oh. Well, I'm sure I'll see him again," said little me. "But, for know, I want you to have the flowers, Daddy."

"Thank you," said Ansem the Wise, taking the flowers.

Little Feng turned to me. "You look like me," she said.

"Yep. I sure do," I told her. "And my name is Feng, too."

"Wow. Are you from the future?" she asked.

"No," I told her.

She just nodded. I finished the story, and then Lucrecia stood.

"This is my fault. I brought Sephiroth into the world."

"No," said Vincent. "This is not your fault."

"Yes, it is!" said Lucrecia. "And I'm going to make myself pay for it. I'll lock myself up. I won't come out as long as he lives."

"No," said Vincent.

"I won't change my mind."

"Then I'll lock myself up, too!"

"No, Vincent."

"Yes!" said Vincent. Both he and Lucrecia had tears in their eyes.

"Are you both sure that this is what you want?" asked Ansem.

"Yes," they both said.

"Very well. I wish it would not have to be this way, but I cannot make your decisions for you," said Ansem.

"But what about what happened in the reactor?" asked Oswald.

"There isn't much I can do," said Ansem.

Suddenly, everyone but Oswald and I stopped moving.

"Wow. What a memory, am I right?" said a familiar voice.

Oswald and I turned and spotted the person in the black coat from before.

"Okay, who are you?" I asked.

"Don't you recognize me?" the hooded figure asked. "I'm disappointed. I expected more from you." The person walked over to the frozen Reina.

"Stay away from her!" I yelled.

"Why? She's only memories," said the figure. "Besides, I can't. I'm always close to her. Not quite there, but always close."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked loudly.

"I'll just have to show you," said the hooded figure. The figure reached up and removed its hood.

"You…," I said. It was Reina. There was virtually no difference between the two figures before me.

"What? Why are you doing this if you're her?" I asked.

"Because I'm not her!" the Reina in the black coat replied. "I was her. Then our group of 'scientists' did something really stupid. We tried to mess with the heart. And we paid with this," she said, gesturing to the frozen Reina. "With our entire existences."

"What do you mean?!" I asked.

"I'm a Nobody. I shouldn't and don't exist. I'm the shell that's left when someone loses their heart and becomes a Heartless," she explained. "Oh, and I'm not Reina anymore. I'm Arxien."

"Well, what do you want from Feng?" Oswald asked.

"I want her to join me. She is destined to join me and help me to realize my goals. Look inside, Feng. You know it is true."

The thing is, I did feel it. I knew, in my heart, that my duty was to her.

"That's why I ended up at this castle. To learn my try purpose. To help you," I said.

"Yes. So this has taught you. Now come along. We've much to do," said Arxien. She summoned a dark portal, and we stepped through. Oswald tried to follow, but the portal closed, and Arxien and I were left alone in the darkness.

A/N: Boy am I glad to get back to this story! I knew how this was gonna go from the start, but I had to get everything just right. I appreciate you all, and we've only got about chapters left before KHII Retold! I'm excited for it! I hope you all are too! See you all in the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Earning Trust

"So, Arxien," I began. "What exactly is it we're doing?"

"We need the x-blade and your power. We're going to overthrow the Organization and unlock Kingdom Hearts. Once we have it, we will retrieve our hearts and become whole again, as we once were," explained Arxien.

"Who's 'we'?" I asked.

"Me and a few of my comrades."

"Oh, okay."

We walked the rest of the way through the darkness in silence. Eventually, we reached our destination, and we stepped out of the portal into another white room. There were a handful of people there.

Firstly, there was a girl with blonde hair, which had two strands sticking out, and blue eyes. Next, there was a guy with pink hair and blue eyes, and a guy with green eyes and wild red hair. Meiyou stood next to a large birdcage, and inside the cage was a girl who was about my age with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"So, you've realized your true purpose?" asked the pink haired guy. I recognized his voice.

"You're that flower guy! The one that gave me the card!" I realized.

"Yes. I am Marluxia. You've met Meiyou already, and she's Larxene," he explained.

"And I'm Axel," said the redhead. "Got it memorized?"

"And what is that?" I asked. "A catch phrase?" Axel nodded.

"And the girl in the cage is Naminé. She's in there because she's been a little disobedient lately," said Marluxia.

"So, I'm here. What do you need?" I asked.

"Well, first, we need you to take out that little friend of yours. Sora," said Axel.

"Why?" I asked.

"Wow, how dumb are you? We only need one Keyblade, and we have you. So you can go dispose of Sora," said Larxene.

"No!" I shouted. I may have been loyal to them, but I didn't want to hurt my friends.

"And why not?" asked Larxene.

"Because...because he's the back-up plan," I said. "If something happens to me, you'll need him."

"She has a point," said Axel.

"Yes. She is right. It is important to have a back-up plan. But we need to test her loyalty to our cause…," Marluxia said.

"Isn't Vexen going to fight Sora?" asked Arxien.

"Yeah. Why?" asked Larxene.

"Send her and Axel to finish the job. In case Sora doesn't."

"Yes. I do rather like that idea," said Marluxia. "So then, Feng and Axel...go. When Vexen is weak, end him."

"Yes, sir!" I said. Axel just nodded, opening a dark corridor. Together, we stepped through it.

When Axel and Feng had gone, Marluxia turned to Meiyou.

"Great job with her. Really. She is blindly loyal to us," he said.

"My work isn't done yet," she replied. "Like Namine, my power takes time to work completely."

"Remind me why we're even bothering with the spiky-haired brat if we've already got the x-blade," said Larxene.

"Because Axel wanted us to go after Sora. He's doing it for his "best friend" Roxas," said Arxien. "Yeah right. We can't feel friendship."

"Either way, we cannot devalue Sora," said Marluxia. "We need him to collect hearts too."

"Oh, okay," said Larxene.

Axel and I walked through the darkness.

"Dang it. I forgot to give you a coat," said Axel.

"Why do I need a coat?" I asked.

"It's really simple. The darkness can affect you in strange and sucky ways. These coats protect you," said Axel. He handed me a coat, and I put it on.

"How do I look?" I asked him.

"I can't tell. It's dark."

"Oh," I said. "Who is Vexen?"

"He's one of the Organization's scientists. He's really smart, but he's kind of weird."

"Why are we eliminating him?" I asked.

"To prove our loyalty to Marluxia's little 'resistance'," he said.

"Are you really loyal to them?" I asked. I wasn't sure of Axel's true motives, but he seemed to be working for himself and no one else.

"Not exactly, but I need to get rid of Vexen anyway. And what about you?" he asked me.

"I feel like I should be loyal to all of you. Arxien, Larxene, Marluxia, and you. But you most of all," I said.

"Well, that means my plan is working," he said.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Well, Meiyou is like an old friend of mine. We're working together to help you and Sora. I have very few loyalties, but one of them is to you," he said. "We're from the same world. I knew you when I was younger."

"Really? I don't remember that," I told him.

"Of course not. We've used Naminé to suppress your memories. That's why your memories stopped flowing back," Axel told me.

"Well, what about Marluxia and the others?" I asked.

"Well, I get the feeling that issue is gonna work itself out," he said, smiling impishly.

"Okay. How much longer is this gonna take?" I asked him.

"Well, we're here," he said. A portal opened and we stepped through it.

When we arrived, we were in a forest that was unfamiliar to me. Before us was a large mansion, and in front of the mansion stood Sora, , Donald, Goofy, and…

"That's Even!" I whispered to Axel.

"No. That's the shell that was left behind when Even was turned into a Heartless. He's like Arxien; he doesn't truly exist, or at least he shouldn't," Axel told me. "So you shouldn't feel bad when we take him out. Got it memorized?"

I nodded and turned to Sora and the others, pulling on the hood of my coat.

"If you continue to seek the girl Naminé, the shackles will tighten...you'll lose your heart and become Marluxia's pawn!"

"Why is Sora seeking Naminé?" I asked.

"Because Naminé messed with his memories- now hush."

"Messed with his memories?" I asked.

"Marluxia? Who's that, and what do they have to do with Nami-"

Sora was cut of by the sound of Axel's chakram flying into Vexen's chest.

"That's your cue," he told me, and I jumped out from behind the bushes. I ran toward Vexen, and attacked. He blocked my attack with his shield, so I kicked the shield, knocking Vexen back. He retaliated with a Blizzaga spell, but I hit him with Firaga. He fell to his knees, exhausted, as Axel stepped out.

"Axel?!" Sora shouted, and then he turned to me. "And who are you?"

"Go ahead. Show him," Axel said, and I removed my hood.

My three friends let out a collective gasp.

"Feng?" Sora said. "What did they do to you?"

"She joined us. Oh, and so sorry to cut you off right when he was getting to the juicy bits," Axel said.

"Feng, why?" Sora asked.

"Because this is where I belong. This is my purpose," I told him.

"Unnngh... Axel, wh...why...?" asked the weakened Vexen

"You sure love to talk. It's about time you shut up-forever," said Axel.

"No... Don't do it...!"

"We're Nobodies, Vexen. We've got no one to be-but we still "are." So look on the bright side. You're off the hook. Now you can be nothing instead of just being nobody."

"M-Mercy, Axel! I don't want to...go yet…"

"NOW you can tell me I don't respect my elders," said Axel. He snapped his fingers, and Vexen was engulfed in flames. Vexen faded away into the darkness, leaving no trace of ever being there in the first place.

"What the...what ARE you people?" asked Sora.

"Wish I knew the answer to that myself," said Axel. We were engulfed by a dark portal and we disappeared.

"So, you did it?"asked Arxien when we returned.

"Yep. No more Vexen," I said.

"Nice work, you two. Good riddance to that blabbermouth," said Larxene.

"Marluxia, you used Vexen to test Sora's strength, right?" asked Axel.

"Not just Sora's. Yours too, Axel. And Feng. We weren't sure if you had it in you to take out a fellow member of the Organization. Well, I guess you did. You can join the big leagues now. With the four of us, taking over the Organization will be child's play," said Larxene.

"I see. And that's where Sora comes in, right?" said Axel.

"Right. He wants to see Naminé, so we give him what he wants," said Larxene.

"Rejoice, Naminé. The hero you've longed for is nearly here," said Marluxia.

"I'm... I'm very happy," said Naminé. Her eyes were shining with tears.

"Are you, now? Well, in your fits of happiness, try not to do anything to hurt Sora's feelings. Am I clear?" asked Larxene.

"Yes," said Naminé.

"All you need do is layer the memories, one by one, and bring his heart closer. And now he has more motivation, because he knows we have Feng," said Marluxia. He and Larxene disappeared into dark corridors.

"Sora... Even if you come for me-what then?" said Naminé quietly.

Axel turned to Naminé and Meiyou quickly, nodding. Meiyou opened the cage and let Naminé out.

"Naminé," said Axel quickly. "You're all he's got left. If you don't stop this, no one will."

"But...it's too late now."

"Oh, I don't think you should give up just yet. By the way, Naminé. I don't see Marluxia around. Do you?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"There's no one here to stop you. Do it right," Axel said. Namine ran off quickly

"Hm hmm... Ha ha haaa! Now THIS should be good. All the actors are in place. Now, Sora! Naminé! Riku! Marluxia! Larxene! It's about time you gave me one hell of a show!" said Axel, laughing.

"You. Come with me," said Meiyou, pointing to me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because. I need to fix you. And we're awfully close to the endgame."

A/N: Hey guys. This chapter is a bit confusing, but I hope you were able to follow the plot. This story is kind of strange, but so was the original CoM. Well, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

The Truth of the Heart

Meiyou and I jogged quietly through the castle until we arrived at a door. I pulled the door open and stepped inside.

"What is this place?" I asked Meiyou. We appeared to be on a beach.

"This is a memory-based recreation of Destiny Islands. We're here because there's something you need to see," Meiyou told me. I looked and saw Sora running across the bridge. He was running toward Naminé.

"Sora...you came for me," Naminé said.

"Naminé...finally...I've been through so much just to see you."

"I could say the same. But I messed up. I really wanted to see you...but not like this."

"Not like what?"

"I was alone for so long. I couldn't bear it anymore... So I beckoned your heart to lead you here. And I'm so glad you found me. But your heart, I had to-"

"No, it's okay. I promised I'd protect you. That's why I came."

"Thank you. Oh, Sora, forgive me... I'm not supposed to be in this picture."

"She's right," said a second Naminé who had just appeared.

"Naminé?!" cried Sora.

"That's not me. I'm not in your heart. I'm not in anyone's heart. I never have been," said the first Naminé

"What... What are you saying, Naminé? What's gotten into you?" said Sora, backing away.

"We were inseparable! But then I lost you... I came here so I'd never lose you again!" said Sora.

"Was it really me you came for?" said the first Naminé.

"Of course it was! I may have forgotten things in this castle, but not you! Look! You gave me this, didn't you?" said Sora, holding out charm.

"You still have it! My good luck charm…," said the second Naminé.

"No, Sora! Don't believe me!" said the first Naminé.

"What am I supposed to do?" asked Sora.

"Think, Sora. Think of the person who's most special to you. See that faint glimmer way in the back of your heart? That's a piece of your memory, Sora. Call out to it! No matter how far away the light gets, your heart's voice will always reach it," said the first Naminé.

"But I already know who's most special to me. It's you, Na-"

The star-shaped keychain Sora held turned into Kairi's good luck charm.

"Who... Who was that? I can't remember her, but she feels so...familiar. Wait, what about Naminé? Where did she go?" said Sora, running off.

"You see," said Meiyou. "This is what Naminé was forced to do to Sora. And what I was forced to do to you. Except my power works differently. While Naminé has power over the memories of Sora and those connected to him, I have the power to change the truth in people's heart's. I changed your heart so that you would be loyal to the dissenters. But mostly to Axel. It was the only way to free myself and Naminé without incriminating either of us. Besides, I have something else that I needed to show you here."

"What is it?" I asked her.

"Someone who is very important. But we aren't there yet," she said. She lead me across the beach to a door.

On the other side of the door, we found Sora. He was talking to Naminé.

"Naminé! It's not you. The person most special to me-it's not you," Sora told her.

No. The girl you care about... the one who was always with you... It's not me. It's her."

"But...who is she? I just... I can't think of her name. If she's so special to me, why can't I remember?"

"It's because I went into your memories and-"

"Let ME explain this. Plain and simple. Your memory is a train wreck. You're not the one who's meant to protect Naminé — I AM. But you and your messed up memories always get in the way!" said Riku, launching himself at Sora.

I held up my Keyblade in front of Sora, blocking the attack.

"Riku! Don't tell me that your memories are messed up too!" I said.

"No way!" he replied. "I'm supposed to protect Naminé! Not Sora! And who are you anyway?"

"Feng!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy shouted.

"I can't believe you don't remember me, Riku," I said.

Instead of replying, Riku attacked once again. I blocked his blow, and the Sora joined the battle.

Riku had powerful attacks, and he was able to take us all on at once. We needed to come up with a strategy if we were going to win.

I froze him with Blizzaga. Then, Sora and I wailed away until the ice melted. Then, Sora handed me his Keyblade, and I swung both wildly, landing several hits on Riku. I finished him off with Lightga.

"Riku!" Sora and I cried.

"Want some more?" asked Riku, knocking Sora and I away.

"Sora! Feng!" cried Naminé.

Riku walked over to us slowly.

"Riku...why…?" I asked.

"Looks like I win," said Riku.

"Stop! Riku, no!" said Naminé.

"You're through!" cried Riku.

"I said, STOP!" shouted Naminé.

Riku suddenly stopped, falling over.

"Riku! RIKU! What did you do? What did you do to Riku?" I asked Larxene, who now stood behind him.

"Not me. She broke his heart. More like smashed it, really," she said.

"Smashed?! But that means he's...he's…," I said.

"Ah ha ha! You're so much fun to watch. If it's Riku you're worried about, then worry no longer. Riku was never here."

"What do you mean?" asked Sora.

"You want me to tell you? Gee, I don't know... I just HATE spoilers…,"said Larxene.

"Quit playing games!" said Sora.

"All right, have it your way. It'll kill you to hear this — but I can live with that. That thing lying there is a puppet Vexen made. Nothing more than a toy. It's laughable, really. It called you a fake, but IT was the fabrication all along," said Larxene.

"A fake? A fake Riku?!" Sora asked.

"Fake in every way. It was only finished recently. And without any past, how could it remember anything? Its memories with Naminé were planted, not real. All this time it's been picking fights with you over bogus memories. Isn't that right Naminé? Behind that cute little face you do some awful things," she explained.

"No...not Naminé," said Sora.

"You are so STUPID. Don't you get it? Messing with people's memories is about all she's good at. She steps into people's hearts and rearranges their memory. If she wants, she can even draw new memories of things that never happened. The girl you've been dying to protect...is a manipulative witch who shackles people's hearts with phony memories!"

"Then my memory... Everything I remember...it's…," Sora said.

"Lies, lies. All lies! An illusion Naminé made. Binding you in the chains of your own memory was central to our trap. It makes me tingle to think how easily you were duped. It was the same thing with Feng. Except Meiyou over there can alter a person's entire heart. That's how we got her working for us. This was our chance to make the Keyblade masters our puppets! We nearly had you... But that jerk Axel used Naminé and Meiyou to wreck everything! He betrayed us!"

"I hate you," I said. "I HATE YOU, YOU BITCH!" I ran toward Larxene.

"Don't!" said Naminé, running in front of Larxene.

"Excuse me? It's a little late to grow a conscience, witch. Last I checked, you and your little friend over there are the ones who got them into this mess," said Larxene.

"I know, but-"

"I should tell you that I am in an EXTREMELY foul mood. Thanks to you, all our plans are toast!" said Larxene, slapping Naminé in the face. She flew across the room.

"Naminé!" Sora and I cried.

"What what what? Do I detect DISTRESS? You don't even know her!" said Larxene.

"Maybe not. But I still made a promise. I promised Naminé I'd keep her safe. Maybe my memories are fake. But they're still mine, and I'm gonna be true to them," sad Sora.

"And I just don't like you," I added.

"What an idiot! There is no promise, there never was! YOU ARE DELUSIONAL. Must you insist on playing the hero? Oh, whatever. It's your funeral. Nighty-night, you sham!" said Larxene, rushing at Sora. Suddenly, Goofy popped up and pushed Larxene away with his shield, and Donald healed Sora and I as he rushed in.

"You have to go through us!" said Goofy.

"Donald! Goofy! You came back?" Sora asked.

"Of course we came back. We were worried about you!" said Goofy.

"We weren't about to let you have all the fun yourself!" Donald said.

"Right! It's always been the four of us…," said Goofy.

"And it always will be! Got it, Larxene?" finished Donald.

"Have it your way. Quadruple the pain for you means quadruple the fun for me!"

Larxene began by throwing a handful of knives at us. I blocked them, and Sora ran forward, attacking Larxene. When he hit her, I threw my Keyblade at Larxene, hitting her in the stomach.

Larxene seemed to prefer lightning-based spells, so I had an idea.

"Donald! Blizzaga!" I said, and Donald used the ice spell, freezing Larxene. Then I used Firaga, and the ice melted, soaking Larxene.

"Oh, wow. Was that supposed to hurt?" she asked. She used a nothe lightning attack, and the water conducted the electricity, shocking her. She fell to her knees.

"No... Nooooo! I refuse to lose to a bunch of losers! I... I'm fading?! NO...this isn't...the way I... I won't...ALLOW…," Larxene said as she faded away.

"Gawrsh, you must be Naminé! We're friends of Sora, I'm-"

"Goofy, I know. And this is Donald," said Naminé.

"Gee, how'd you know?" asked Donald.

"Congratulations, Sora! You finally found your friend," said Goofy. Then he turned to me. "And Feng!" he shouted, hugging me. Donald and Sora did the same, then we turned to Naminé and Meiyou.

"Hmm, where to begin...Naminé, Meiyou, I know it's not easy, but could you tell us what's going on?" said Jiminy.

"I don't mind. It's my fault, after all. I took the people and memories in Sora's heart...and little by little replaced them with false memories that I made," said Naminé.

"I did something similar to Feng. I changed what her heart thought was true, so she helped Marluxia and the others.

"So the promise Sora made to keep you safe…," Donald began.

"It was all a lie. Sora never promised me anything. Me being on the islands — that was a lie, too. This is our first meeting. I was never Sora's friend…," said Naminé.

"You were never anything...more than that, either…," said Sora.

"I'm sorry. In your true memories, I was never there."

"So you're the reason the rest of us lost our memories, too. Can we ever get them back?" asked Jiminy.

"And what about my heart?" I added.

We can't fix them right away. If we go to the thirteenth floor we can fix everything," said Meiyou.

"But Marluxia…," said Naminé.

"Is that the person who made you tamper with our memories?" Jiminy asked.

"He said he'd keep me locked away in this castle forever if I didn't obey. I've been alone for so long…," said Naminé.

"And he threatened to kick me out. I couldn't let them search around inside this castle," Meiyou said.

"So you did as you were told because you were lonely. And you didn't want to leave…," Goofy said.

"I'm...I'm so sorry…," said Naminé.

"Don't be. Please don't cry…," said Sora.

"I know. I don't have the right," said Namine.

"That's not what I meant! Look...I'm really not happy about you screwing around with my memories. But you know, I can't really get mad at you, either. These memories that you gave me... In my head I know they're lies, but they still... feel right. Like my promise. I said I'd protect you... that I wouldn't make you cry... So if you cry now, I feel guilty. Like I let you down somehow. So please...don't cry. Don't apologize. Until I get my memory back, smile, laugh, be happy. It's easier on me that way," said Sora.

"Sora…," said Namine.

"Goofy, don't you think he's laying it on a bit thick?" said Donald.

"I don't know. Sora's always like this around girls, a-hyuck!" Goofy replied.

"He's right. Sora's quite the lady's man. Except around me, because, according to him, I'm not a girl," I said.

"Shut up! How many times do I have to apologize? And I thought you two lost your memories!"

"Friends don't forget things like that!" said Donald.

"Gimme a break…," said Sora. Namine laughed slightly.

"There! That's it! That's the Naminé I remember. I used to really like it when you smiled. I mean, in my fake memory. But what I'm feeling now isn't fake. It's real," Sora said.

"You're sweet, Sora," said Namine.

"Well, we've still got work to do," said Sora.

"Yeah, let's go get our memories back!" said Donald.

"And fix my heart," I added.

"Marluxia is up there, so you'd better stay here, Naminé," said Goofy.

"Goofy's right. Could you look after Riku for me? We'll come get you after this is over," said Sora.

"I'll stay here to protect them," said Meiyou, summoning her staff.

"Okay. Be careful, Sora," said Namine.

"I'll be fine... I promise!" said Sora. The four of us left, glad to be a team again.

"Who was it? Who gave me this? It's no use," said Sora, holding up a charm made of seashells.

"I can't remember either, but I did remember before. Namine repressed my memories, but she must have done it wrong," I said.

"Can't you remember?" Donald asked Sora.

"I only remember Naminé. Do either of you remember anything?"

"No, nothing. I think Goofy and I are supposed to be looking for someone important, too. But I can't remember," said Donald.

"Someone was with me before, but they went somewhere," I said.

"Um...you know, I'm just a teeny-weeny bit...scared," said Donald.

"Then let's make a promise!" said Goofy.

"Huh?" said Sora.

"What you said back there got me thinking. It's easier to face the scary stuff when you've got a promise to keep!" said Goofy.

"So it's like...courage," I said.

"That's a great idea! So...what should we promise?" asked Donald.

"That's easy! No matter what happens — even if we end up far apart or forget each other…," said Goofy, putting his hand out.

"We'll always be in each other's hearts," I said, putting my hand on top of Goofy's.

"All for one, one for all," said Sora, putting his hand out as well.

"And that's a promise," said Donald, placing his hand on the top.

Meiyou and Namine stood in the center of the room, Riku on the floor next to them. Suddenly, Marluxia appeared in a flurry of flower petals.

"Stay away, Marluxia," said Meiyou, sinking into a fighting stance.

"Oh, really? And what will you do?" asked Marluxia.

"Why don't you come find out," Meiyou said.

"Oh, very well," said Marluxia. He swung his scythe, sending a wave of energy flying toward Meiyou. She jumped, dodging his attack. She turned the staff into a whip, swinging it wildly. Marluxia grabbed the whip and pulled. As Meiyou was pulled toward him, she tried to shoot sparks at him. As they connected, he released the whip.

He ran forward and jumped, swinging downward. Meiyou fell to her knees.

"Namine, run!" Meiyou shouted. Marluxia brought the handle of his scythe down on her head, knocking her out. Then he disappeared, and reappeared behind Namine. He grabbed her, and the three disappeared.

As Marluxia entered one of the rooms, Axel stepped through a dark portal.

"You're a fool among fools to show your face here, traitor!" said Marluxia.

"Traitor? I don't know what you're talking about," Axel replied.

"Why did you let them go? You and your cursed meddling! They were ours! The Keyblade masters could have been our slaves!"

"Right, your big plan. You use Naminé to rewrite Sora's memory piece by piece, and Meiyou to change Feng's heart. They become puppets. Then, using Naminé, Meiyou, Sora, and Feng, you and Larxene overthrow the Organization. Did I get it right? 'Cause that would make YOU the traitor, Marluxia. Not me."

"But you eliminated Vexen!"

"Yeah, come to think of it. So what? All I did was weed the garden. And I had to be sure you two trusted me."

"I see...a double agent. You've been investigating our conspiracy from the start."

"Moving on... I believe you ordered me to 'rid us of our traitors'," said Axel, summoning his chakrams. "I always follow orders, Marluxia."

A/N: Ooh, cliffhanger. Don't worry about it though. I won't keep you hanging too much longer. This story will be over soon, and then I can finally focus on KHII Retold. I'm very excited for it. Also, this story is kind of a low-ish point, so I'm glad to end it. See you all in the next (and final) chapter of Chain of Memories Retold!

P.S.: The two new cutscenes in the II.5 Re:coded movie will be worked into this series somehow.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Square Enix owns FF. Disney owns Disney stuff. I don't own KH, only my own stuff.

Sleep

"Larxene paid the price for her disloyalty. You're next, Marluxia. In the name of the Organization you betrayed, I will annihilate you!" said Axel.

"Go ahead, then-strike!" said Marluxia as Naminé appeared between them.

"What kind of game is this? You think cowering behind Naminé will stop me? Think again. Your little mascot can keep you company in the void. Farewell, Marluxia." said Axel.

"Oh, I think not. Are you listening, Sora? Feng?" said Marluxia.

"Huh?" said Axel as we ran into the room

"Axel is willing to harm Naminé just to get at me! Destroy him!" said Marluxia.

Sora and the others got ready to fight and Marluxia and Naminé vanished.

"Well, well, Sora. Marluxia made you his puppet after all," said Axel.

"Never. After I finish you, he's next," said Sora.

"No way, Sora. You can't fight Axel," I said.

"But your heart was rewritten to think that!" he said.

"No! You can't," I said.

"No. Let him,"said Axel. "Hmm... Listen, Sora. We've got more in common than you think. I'd rather not fight you...but I do have a reputation to think of!"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy began fighting Axel. It was obvious that Sora and Axel had fought before, because Sora seemed to know all of Axel's moves. Eventually, Sora, Donald, and Goofy won.

"You're not half bad. Looks like it was worth saving your hide after all," said Axel.

"Saving me? What do you mean?" asked Sora.

"Sorry... I'd hate to kill the suspense," said Axel before disappearing.

"Axel!" cried Sora. The four of us ran ahead into the next room.

"So you've destroyed Axel. You have my thanks, Sora. Or perhaps I should thank the power of the Keyblade. How I long to make it my own and have the Organization at my mercy! Not to mention that Feng is already my slave!" said Marluxia.

"Get real, Marluxia. Let Naminé and Meiyou go!" said Sora.

"You cannot win as long as she is in my hands. Naminé... Erase Sora's memory! And then I'll have Meiyou control his heart, just like Feng!" said Marluxia.

"But...if I do that…," said Namine.

"Yes. If you uproot the memories you planted...then Sora's heart will collapse and all his memories will be torn asunder," said Marluxia.

"Sora's heart…," said Goofy.

"Collapse?!" finished Donald.

"I'd prefer the Keyblade master unharmed...but even a riven heart can be rebuilt with time and Meiyou's power. Sora will yet be my slave, like his precious friend Feng. Do it, Naminé! Obliterate his memory!

"No. Sora forgave me even though I deceived him. I could never break his heart! I don't care what you do to me. I won't hurt Sora!" said Namine.

"Then you'll pay the price-"

"Do what he says, Naminé! I don't care! Erase my memory!" said Sora.

"Sora, what are you saying?" I asked.

"Who am I going to look after if I don't have you? Do it, Naminé! Erase my memories, break my heart... I'll still have my promise. I'll still protect you!" said Sora.

"Sora…," said Namine.

"I don't need my memory to take on Marluxia," said Sora.

"Yeah! Even if Sora forgets, we won't!" said Donald.

"All we gotta do is remember for him!" said Goofy.

"And you can rewrite my heart all you want, but I'll always be loyal to my friends!" I said.

"With everyone else's memories, I can piece my own together again in no time!" said Sora.

"Ignorant fool! If Naminé destroys your memory, you'll be naught but a lifeless shell. Your heart will be unable to feel, to care! Just like that pathetic imitation of Riku," said Marluxia.

"Guess again," said Riku, who ran toward Marluxia, knocking him away.

"It cannot be!" said Marluxia.

"Riku!" I said. I was happy to see him.

"No, not Riku. Just someone's pet project," he told me. "I'm sorry," he added.

"But...you're an empty shell! You've been stripped of all you had!" said Marluxia.

"What did I ever have? My body and heart are fake. But there's one thing you can't take from me anyway... even if it is a lie! I will protect Naminé. Phantom promise or not, it's MY promise!" said Riku.

To be honest, this made me sad. Although I knew that it wasn't the real Riku, it reminded me of my earlier worries that Riku liked...liked who? Namine? I think so.

"Know your place! You would chain your heart with false memories? Cast your heart's freedom aside?" said Marluxia, summoning his scythe. "You turn from the truth because your heart is weak. You cannot defeat me!"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and I all began fighting Marluxia. Donald and I blasted Firaga magic while Sora, Riku, and Goofy attacked head on. We didn't need a strategy; we just wailed away until we won.

"We...we got him?!" said Donald.

"You could say that. But what you destroyed was just an image of me. No more than a petty imitation," said another Marluxia.

"So what!" said Riku as he slashed at Marluxia, who disappeared in a flurry of petals. "Grrr… Another imitation."

"The real Marluxia's in there?" I asked, referring to the large door.

"Yes," said Namine.

"Whatever's on the other side is powerful... I can feel it," said Sora.

"Well then, we'd better hurry up and stop it!" said Goofy.

"Let's do this!" said Donald.

"Riku... Keep Naminé safe," said Sora.

"Me?" asked Riku.

"You don't want to?"

"All right," Riku said.

We headed over to the door, and a dark corridor appeared. Arxien stepped through it.

"Feng. I need to talk to you. There's actually somewhere I need to take you," she said.

"What about Marluxia?" I asked.

"Sora can handle him. Can't you, Sora?" Arxien said. Sora nodded. "Besides, you can't fight Marluxia because of Meiyou."

"Okay, then. I'll go," I said. "If you guys need me…," I began.

"I'll call out to your heart," said Namine. I smiled and nodded, then turned and stepped through the portal.

As we stepped out of the portal, I realized that we were in a long white hallway.

"We're still in the castle?" I asked.

"Yes," Arxien said.

"You were with Axel the whole time, weren't you?' I asked her.

"Yes. I can't betray the Organization. Or at least not yet. I still have things I need to do," she said.

"And so do I," said Meiyou, who had just walked up.

"Reach deep into your heart, and search for someone important," Meiyou instructed me, and I did as she said. I heard a voice.

_Lucem?_

No. That isn't me. My name's Feng.

_Feng...So, she's with you now?_

What does that mean?

_Never mind. But you need it, don't you?_

I guess so.

_ can use it. But you have to give it back!_

Okay. But who are you?

_I'm Aqua._

"Who was that?" I asked Meiyou when I opened my eyes.

"I'm sure you'll meet her someday,"said Meiyou. "But now I need you to summon the Keyblade."

I did as she said, but, rather than my own Keyblade, another appeared. It was familiar; it had a guard made up of two small, light grey boxes and copper rod. The base of the guard connected to the squared grip, and both had small indentations lining them. The teeth were in the shape of an "E", and the Keychain token was a squarish heart mark.

"Now use it on the door," Arxien said, and I did so. The door, which also had the squarish heart marks on it, opened.

Inside the room was a single throne, but it was turned away from the door.

"Go ahead. Look on the other side," said Meiyou. I did as she said, and walked around the throne.

There was a boy sitting in the throne. He looked a bit older than me, and he had slightly spiky blonde hair. He wore primarily black and white clothes, and he had the square heart mark in his chest.

"Who is he?" I asked Meiyou.

"His name is-"

"Ventus," I finished. Meiyou simply nodded.

"Why show me this?' I asked.

"Because this person is very special to you, even though you don't know it yet," said Arxien.

"Oh," I said. I just stared at Ventus for a few moments, then I turned to Arxien and Meiyou. Meiyou had tears in her eyes.

"Meiyou, are you a Nobody too? Like Arxien and Axel?" I asked her.

"Yes," she said simply.

"But that can't be right," I said.

"What?" she said.

"You're crying. You can't cry if you don't have a heart," I said. She simply smiled.

"Come on," she said. As we left the room, I locked the door behind me. The mysterious Keyblade disappeared, replacing itself with my own Keyblade.

Arxien opened a dark portal, and the three of us stepped through.

When we got back, Sora was locking the large door with his Keyblade.

"Oh, please don't tell Sora about Ventus," said Meiyou.

"Okay," I said. I walked up to Riku when Sora did.

"Are you okay, Riku?" Sora asked.

"I'm not Riku. I'm fake. I can't remember when I was created, or why…," Riku said. "All I've got left is you and Naminé. But those memories aren't real…"

"Naminé, can you put Riku's memory back to normal?" Goofy asked.

"It...It doesn't work that way," Namine said.

"It's all right. Don't worry about me," said Riku, running off.

"Wait!" said Riku, running to Sora. "Who cares if someone made you? You have your own heart. Those feelings and memories are yours and yours alone. They're special!"

"Sora, you're a good person. I don't have to be real to see how real your feelings are. That's good enough for me," said Riku, walking away once again.

"Riku! Riku…," Sora cried.

"Can you fix our memories?" Donald asked Naminé.

"Yes," Naminé replied. "Just because you can't remember something doesn't mean it's 's the same with Feng's heart."

"What do you mean?" asked Goofy.

"Remembering one thing leads to remembering another, and then another. Your memories are connected, like links in a chain. Those same chains are what anchor us all together. I don't destroy memories. I just take apart the links and rearrange them. You still have all your memories," Naminé explained.

"So you can put them back together?" asked Jiminy.

"Yes, but first I have to undo the links I made. Then I have to gather up the memories scattered in your hearts and reconnect them. It will take time. But I think it will work. No, I'll MAKE it work. It's my turn to help you out," said Naminé.

"But what about Feng?" Sora asked.

"Well, she's a bit different. When I change a person's heart, it's like crossing out something written on paper and adding something else. Once the original 'words' are scratched out, you can't restore them. You can only start over. I have to completely rewrite your heart. But the good news is that Naminé can completely unlock your memories," said Meiyou.

"All right. We're in your hands," said Sora.

"Hey... Wait just a second! You said you'd have to undo the links you made. But that means-" Jiminy reasoned.

"Yes, Jiminy. You won't be able to recall what happened in this castle," said Naminé.

"Not even you?" asked Sora.

"I'm sorry. It's the only way. You have to choose, Sora. You can lose your memories of this castle and reclaim your old memories...or keep your memories here and give up the memories that you've lost," said Naminé.

"What about me?" I asked.

"You too. Naminé and I have to work in tandem to fix your heart. It will take your memories of this place too, as well as your free will," Meiyou explained.

"We have to choose?" Sora asked.

"Yes," said Naminé.

"Put me back the way I was," Sora said.

"Okay, I understand! Who needs false memories, right? Especially when you have real memories of people who are really important to you. Anyone would say the same," said Namine.

We walked into another room, and then over to a series of flower-looking contraption.

"We have to sleep in these to get our memories back?" said Donald.

"You'll be fine. It might take a little time, but I'll take care of you," said Naminé.

"But when we wake up, we won't remember you anymore…," said Goofy.

"How are we going to thank you later?" asked Donald.

"No problem, Donald! I'll make a note in my journal: 'Thank Naminé'," said Jiminy.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that!" said Donald.

"Don't forget Meiyou!" Sora said. Jiminy added her name.

"Good night, Naminé, Meiyou," said Goofy.

"Good night," said Naminé.

"Don't let the bedbugs bite," said Meiyou. Donald and Goofy got into two small pods.

"You too, Sora," said Naminé. "And you, Feng."

"Okay," said Sora.

"It may have started with a lie, but I'm really glad I met you both."

"Me too," added Meiyou.

"Yeah, me too. When I found you... Even when I remembered your name, I was so happy. The way I felt was no lie," said Sora.

"And Meiyou...even though I won't remember the things you showed me, thank you," I said.

"Goodbye," Naminé and Meiyou said together.

"No, not goodbye! We'll find you both again after we wake up. And then we'll all be friends for real," Sora said.

"You'll only forget,," Meiyou said.

"We won't. Even if you take apart the chain of memories in our hearts, the links will stay there. This memory will always be inside of us somewhere," said Sora.

"Besides, you guys are in our hearts now. No matter what happens to us," I said.

"I guess you're right," said Naminé.

"We'll see you again, Naminé, Meiyou," I said.

Sora and I turned to each other.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in a while," I said.

"Looks that way," Sora said. We hugged, and then we got into our pods.

"Feng," Meiyou said. "The loose links will sink into the darkness in your heart. You won't be able to just reach in and pick the one you want. But there's a promise you made, a promise to someone-several people actually-that you could never forget. They're your light. The light within the darkness. If you can remember them, remember him, then all the memories and the truth lost in the shadows of your heart will come into the light."

"Promises," I murmured.

"Around your neck," Meiyou said.

I felt necklaces around my neck. Riku's, and Shadi and Shui's. Images of all my friends flashed through my mind.

"My friends. Meiyou!"

"You may forget me, but we'll meet again, just like we promised."

"A promise is a promise."

"One day it'll be our light, the light that brings us together. I'll be in your heart until that time comes."

"I know. Forgotten, but not lost."

I drifted off to sleep.

A/N: Finally, it's done! Now I can focus on KHII Retold and BbS Retold. This was my most tedious and taxing story, but it's all uphill from here! Thank you for your continued support, and I hope you all like the upcoming installments!


End file.
